Uchiha Makoto continued refining the Hashirama Senju Threat Theory as he made his way toward the Capital of the Land of Fire.
Nothing unexpected happened along the way. He only ran into a few foolish bandits blocking the road, so Uchiha Makoto could only helplessly strip them of everything they had.
After more than ten days of travel, Uchiha Makoto arrived at the Capital of the Land of Fire.
Filled with anticipation,
Uchiha Makoto beheld a colossal city that could only be called majestic. It truly deserved to be the capital of the strongest nation in the Ninja World. The Ninja World had been ravaged by war for a long time, yet compared with the cities he had passed along the way, this capital was brimming with life and vitality.
But the world had never been all light. Someone always had to pay the price for maintaining such a splendid capital. If you felt that you were carrying a heavy burden, then someone else was surely enjoying peaceful years on your behalf.
Uchiha Makoto did not waste time sighing over such things. He had not even had time to eat before heading straight toward the palace where the Daimyo resided.
Security around the palace was extremely tight, with elite legions stationed nearby. Of course, they were not there to guard against ninja, but against unruly commoners.
If a group of starving peasants ever raised a banner, stirred up the masses, gathered in droves, and accidentally charged into the capital, that would be no small matter.
Even if such unrest would eventually be suppressed, the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire still cared about his reputation.
Under the holy Daimyo's rule, the realm was peaceful and prosperous, and the capital was the foremost model of order. If unruly commoners caused trouble right under his nose, it would be like slapping him across the face.
The Daimyo of other nations would seize the chance to mock him.
So even though these elite legions made up of ordinary people could not deal with ninja, they still needed to exist.
As for the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire himself, elite ninja were specifically assigned to protect him. Every Daimyo stood at the pinnacle of power and wealth. For them, hiring ninja as round-the-clock personal guards was effortless, and the cost was not worth mentioning.
If they could, the Daimyo would even be willing to spend enormous sums training a group of ninja themselves.
The Daimyo stood high above all others and firmly kept the ninja in check, but there was also a fear buried deep in their souls, one hidden for a thousand years and never spoken of. It had always clung to them like a parasite gnawing at the bone.
Power was like a king's sword, yet the hilt of that sword remained in the ninja's hands, not the Daimyo's.
But the idea of cultivating ninja of their own had been attempted by the Daimyo many times, and every attempt had failed.
Because when it came to core techniques, precious secrets such as hidden ninjutsu arts, ninja clans would rather let them rot in their hands than sell them. No amount of money could buy them.
"Unauthorized persons, halt!"
The moment he approached the palace complex, Uchiha Makoto heard a guard's sharp rebuke.
This was royal ground. Ordinary people were not merely forbidden from entering—they were not even qualified to approach.
When dealing with unruly commoners, the guards truly dared to kill.
Facing the arrogant guards, Uchiha Makoto had considered sneaking into the palace. These guards made up of ordinary people could not stop him at all.
But considering that he had come to the Capital of the Land of Fire this time to secure funding, he could not exactly meet the Daimyo that way.
He would save that kind of arrogance for another time.
So Uchiha Makoto honestly presented his calling card.
Under the guard's skeptical gaze, Uchiha Makoto revealed the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan. Amid a terrified scream, the guard finally confirmed that Uchiha Makoto was indeed a genuine member of the Uchiha Clan. The rumors were true—the tomoe spinning within the Uchiha's crimson eyes could drag anyone who met their gaze into Genjutsu!
It had to be said that the Uchiha Clan's name was incredibly useful.
If he had been an ordinary ninja, the guard before him would likely have driven him away immediately. So what if he was a ninja?
I am the Daimyo's dog. Ahem... the Daimyo's guard.
But the Uchiha Clan was different.
The Uchiha Clan's reputation was known throughout the Ninja World. Even the Daimyo had to maintain good relations with them.
Everyone knew that, unlike the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan tended to produce ruthless extremists with black hearts and even crueler hands!
They truly dared to attack at the slightest disagreement.
The guard scrambled away to find his superior. After reporting the situation, a broad, fat attendant soon emerged from the palace gates.
"Lord Uchiha, please follow me!"
Led by the attendant, Uchiha Makoto was brought to a reception hall and seated.
After waiting for about half an hour,
Uchiha Makoto finally met the target of this visit—the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire.
"It has been a long time since the Uchiha Clan sent someone to visit!"
"Quick, serve tea!"
The Daimyo wore an enthusiastic expression as he instructed the attendant beside him to refill Uchiha Makoto's cup.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Uchiha Makoto introduced himself. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two chatted idly.
Seeing that the atmosphere was fairly good,
the Daimyo began asking about the Uchiha Clan's current situation.
This was something he had always cared deeply about.
The Daimyo knew all too well about the bitter feud between the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan. Especially recently, the war between the new generations of the Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan had reached a fever pitch. Yet because the distance was so great and channels for transmitting information were so backward, the Daimyo had never been able to grasp firsthand intelligence.
According to the information the Daimyo possessed,
Hashirama Senju, the Senju Clan's leader, and Uchiha Madara, the Uchiha Clan's leader, had fought constantly over the past few years.
But Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju did not feel human to him!
As a Daimyo, he had seen powerful ninja before, but Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju possessed strength far beyond what ordinary ninja could unleash.
According to intelligence, during their most serious battle, the range of their fight had spread across more than a thousand li. From afar, Wood Dragons danced through the air, giants glared in fury, and blades split mountains apart. All manner of exaggerated, unbelievable scenes overturned the Daimyo's imagination, while the aftershocks of Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju's battle reduced everything around them to barren wasteland.
When such reports reached him, the Daimyo had even suspected that the intelligence was false.
Could humans truly wield such power?
It was simply terrifying!
What kind of mighty power was this?
Calling them gods would not be an exaggeration!
Two ninja comparable to gods had appeared in the Ninja World. How could people like the Daimyo, who considered themselves the rulers of the Ninja World, possibly rest easy?
Hearing the Daimyo's urgent questions, Uchiha Makoto smiled.
Time to stir things up!
About the updates.
The experiments had been getting busier lately.
Graduate Students did not get summer vacation.
Sigh.
But just because I updated a little late... how did people start saying I'd dropped the story?
Before you continue